Maslows Hierarchy of Needs - Assignment Example

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs falls under the content theories of motivation that explains what motivates people and the type of needs that cause action (Barnett, 1999). All humans, according to this theory aspire to reach the self-actualized state but to attain that state they experience different levels of needs. Only when the lower needs are satisfied the next higher level of need surfaces or is even recognized by the subject. The five basic needs include the physiological needs, safety, love or belongingness, esteem and self-actualization (Udechukwu, 2009). Once the lower order needs are satisfied, the higher level needs takeover. Shank’s old boss failed to meet the safety need as they were told that “you are just another number…” There was no love or belongingness and the question of self-esteem and self-actualization does not arise in these circumstances. The needs could not be met because the boss did not value his employees, did not recognize their efforts and contribution to the company. The self-esteem of the employees in the process was at its lowest. Low self-esteem can inhibit creativity, interpersonal relations, hinder performance and conflict resolution (Tharenou, 1979). Focusing on employee needs is essential to motivate and sustain the motivation of the employees. Maslow clarifies that satisfied needs are not motivators. When the higher order needs take over they serve as the motivating force. Thus, an organization can meet the missing needs in several ways. People need to feel connected with the top management and not feel alienated. Thus regular interactions between the management and the employees make them feel valued. A few words of recognition publicly reinforces the self-esteem of an individual and this can be a great motivator. The employees should feel that they can approach the management freely. Interest in the work or the store by the management is a great motivator for the employees because when they experience the excitement of the owners they too feel involved in their work. To err is human and employers should recognize this fact. Errors should be tolerated and as in the case of Southwest Airlines, errors should be considered a learning experience. A controlled approach can inhibit growth as it reduces initiatives. Hence an employee should be allowed to develop feelings of self-worth which provides intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is better than extrinsic motivation. When a person is aroused through a desire from within, the results are better. Motivation has to come from within and the employers or the managers can thus encourage through listening. They should patiently listen to the employees and value them as individuals each having his or her unique strength. This implies that when the job role matches their unique strength they would be motivated to perform well. Besides, when their ideas or suggestion are incorporated into the company policy it serves to satisfy their self-actualization needs. They feel safe and secure in their employment and employment relations with the management. Expectancy theory is the process theory of motivation which assumes that people are capable of calculating costs and benefits when they have to select among alternative courses of action (Stecher & Rosse, 2007). The Expectancy theory, developed by Vroom, explains how individuals evaluate alternatives to arrive at a decision. This theory suggests that people will select the option that provides the greatest motivation force. Employee behavior in learning, decision-making, attitude formation and motivation can be assessed, interpreted and evaluated through this framework (Chiang & Jang, 2008). The motivation force as per the expectancy theory is expressed as expectancy x instrumentality x valence. People have a tendency to select the option with the greatest motivation force. Expectancy is the perceived probability that effort given by the employee will result in good performance. Instrumentality is the perceived probability that good performance will bring the desired results. An individual personally places value on the rewards and this is known as valence. Employees do want a minimum basic salary to ensure they are able to meet their basic needs but at the same time they also expect distributive justice, which is the underlying principle of the equity theory of motivation. If an employee feels underpaid it could adversely affect performance. Feelings of hostility towards the organization and the management may also arise. The valence here is the expected satisfaction from the outcome. Since this theory provides explanation why people would exert effort, the managers can attempt to increase the link between efforts and performance evaluation, and performance and outcomes (Psychology Campus, 2008). This could lead to more valued outcomes. By providing the right job role the manager can increase expectancy because this ensures that employees would be able to do their jobs as desired. Along with the job role, training and development should be focused on in an organization. The expected satisfaction or the valence can be increased by offering rewards and recognition that are valued by the employees. Instrumentality can be increased when managers ensure that the link between job performance and reward is explicit and clear. The equity theory suggests that perception of equity can affect employee intentions to engage in either positive or negative work-related behaviors (Stecher & Rosse, 2007). Input is the contribution of employees towards the organization and output is what they get from the organization in return. The associates in Flight 001 would measure the ratio of input to output. If the ratios are equal among workers then they would not be motivated to change their behavior. When employees are underpaid the quality and quantitative of work output could be affected adversely. However, if an employee is overpaid he would not be motivated to expend more effort. The theory of distributive justice suggests that if two workers get paid different for the same effort, the one who gets the lower pay, feels underpaid. Therefore, this theory suggests that managers at Flight 001 should ensure that employees receive fair wages that commensurate with their capabilities and output. Herzberg’s two factor theory assumes that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction result from different causes (Udechukwu, 2009). Job satisfaction can be derived from the motivators but hygiene factors impact the dissatisfaction experienced by the workers. Hygiene factors are purely extrinsic in nature while the motivators are intrinsic. Herzberg termed responsibility, recognition, promotion and work as motivators because when workers are satisfied it leads to high levels of self-direction and productivity (Sachau, 2007). The hygiene factors or the extrinsic factors include the salary, supervision, working conditions, interpersonal relations and also company politics. All these impact the performance as well as the inclination to work. Work place hygiene can reduce dissatisfaction levels and even prevent it. Within Flight 001 the motivating factors include the personal connection that the workers feel with people at the corporate level. This induces personal loyalty which too is a great motivator. They feel valued and a part of the growth process. Appreciation and recognition are important motivators and these are present at Flight 001. Amongst the hygiene factors salary is definitely important without which nothing else matters. However, along with the salary encouragement plays a vital role. Encouragement comes from interpersonal relations and this too is a hygiene factor important for workers. The workers want to be connected with people at the workplace where they spend the bulk of their time. Involvement of the top management in the organizational affairs induces involvement at the workers’ level. Another vital factor is that error is not subject to punishment; people are not reprimanded for making mistakes. In other words the management recognizes that mistakes are the stepping stones to success. Other hygiene factors include paying attention to people’s natural strength and using them at the store. For instance, visually talented people are encouraged to work with merchandising. When people are given roles that suit their talents they tend to perform better. An employer listening to the workers is also a hygiene factor as it implies that supervisor-subordinate relations are harmonious. Focus at Flight 001 appears to be more on interpersonal relations and in bringing fun and humor at work. Encouragement and recognition are both provided at Flight 001. While encouragement is hygiene factor recognition is a motivator. The motivators involve psychological growth while the hygiene factors involve physical and psychological pain avoidance. At Flight 001 motivators seem to be lacking while there is a great emphasis on the hygiene factors. However, for a balanced growth and for employee retention motivators are equally essential. There is not much focus on training and development, in innovation and creativity. There is no mention of career progression of the workers as well. Motivators can cause positive job attitudes. While the workers are deriving job satisfaction at the moment, being a small retail store, unless career progression is focused upon, the workers might soon be moving ahead for better prospects. Working closely with the owners in a small company can be exciting for some time but if the salary does not increase with performance, the workers may soon start feeling underpaid. This could impact performance. Working with a large global company can be exciting both for the hygiene factors (high wages) and motivators (career growth). Works Cited References Barnett, K.Carole. Motivation Theories: Integration. 1999. Web. 8 Feb. 2012 . Chiang, Chun-Ga. and Jang, Shawn. (2008) An expectancy theory model for hotel employee motivation. International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 27, pp. 313-322 Psychology Campus. Work Motivation. 2008. Web. 8 Feb 2012. . Sachau, A. Daniel. (2007) "Resurrecting the Motivation-Hygiene Theory: Herzberg and the Positive." Human Resource Development Review 6 (2007): 377 Stecher, D. Mary. & Rosse, G. Joseph. "Understanding Reactions to Workplace Injustice Through Process." Journal of Management Education 31.6 (2007): 777-796 Tharenou, Phyllis. "Employee Self-Esteem: A Review of the Literature." Journal of Vocational Behavior 15. (1979): 316-346 Udechukwu, I.IIkwukananne. (2009) "Correctional Officer Turnover: Of Maslow’s Needs Hierarchic and Herzbergs Motivation Theory." Public Personnel Management 38.2 (2009): 69-82 Read More